Tuesday, April 16, 2013

FoodSource/C.H. Robinson Receives Top Supplier Award from Brookshire Grocery Company


Eden Prairie, MN (April 16, 2013) — FoodSource, a C.H. Robinson company, has received the Top Supplier, Collaboration and Service Award from Brookshire Grocery Company (BGC).

The award recognizes FoodSource’s ability to provide BGC with innovative new items, consistent quality and pricing in a full line of fruits and vegetables from around the world, and for achieving an above 98 percent service level.

In addition to providing BGC with commodity and service expertise, the FoodSource account management team provided sales and promotions support. As well, the Pink Ribbon Watermelon program contributed a donation to breast cancer research on BGC’s behalf.

“FoodSource has been a tremendous vendor partner. Their dedication to listening to our company’s needs, working collaboratively to develop solutions and delivering those competitive sales promotions has really had an impact on our customers and our business,” said Dave Krause, senior vice president, category management at Brookshire Grocery Company.

Throughout the year, FoodSource would conduct conference calls twice a month with BGC to discuss initiative progress and upcoming opportunities in addition to weekly market reports and monthly planners.

“This award is an incredible accomplishment and couldn’t be done without our outstanding account management team.  Their commodity knowledge combined with building long-standing relationships has been instrumental in engraining our companies’ capabilities together,” said Ray Griffin, general manager at FoodSource.  “This team demonstrates what hard work, progressive thinking and tireless dedication can do for a business relationship.”

About C.H. Robinson:

C.H. Robinson got its start in the produce industry over 100 years ago, providing fresh fruits and vegetables to the settlers of the Dakotas and Minnesota. Today, C.H. Robinson is a Fortune 500 company and one of the largest produce sourcing and logistics companies in the world with annual gross revenues of over $11 billion. C.H. Robinson offers the highest quality products while integrating value-added logistics, distribution, and information reporting services. C.H. Robinson provides many well-known North American consumer brands including Glory Foods®, Mott's®, Welch's®, and Tropicana®. The Tropicana trademark is being used under license from Tropicana Products, Inc.  C.H. Robinson offers a full line of conventional and organic produce through a large network of regional and local growers and serves over 42,000 customers through a network of more than 275 offices and over 10,900 employees worldwide.

Through the company and its Foundation, C.H. Robinson and its employees contribute millions of dollars annually to a variety of organizations, including the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Community Health Charities, American Red Cross, Children's Hospital and Clinics of Minnesota, and Global Impact. The company is headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and has been publicly traded on the NASDAQ since 1997. For more information about C.H. Robinson, visit http://www.chrobinson.com.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Penske Logistics Completes Major Upgrade and Relocation of its World-Class Data Center


READING, Pa., April 9, 2013 – Penske Logistics has completed a significant upgrade of its enterprise-class data center that serves all of its supply chain customers. The multi-million dollar project, started last November, was recently concluded.

The data center was previously housed on-site at a Penske Logistics facility in Beachwood, Ohio. The new center is now located a few miles away off-site and has increased square footage available for future data center expansion.

“This new facility is staffed 24 hours a day by data center experts and provides state-of-the-art redundancy, security, cooling and power for our technology solutions,” stated Tom McKenna, Senior Vice President of Logistics Engineering and Technology for Penske Logistics.

“Our company committed to this endeavor to better serve the needs of our customers with the next generation of technology infrastructure,” he said. “Enhanced disaster recovery tools are an important part of that infrastructure. Our customers will also benefit from improved system performance that comes with the addition of advanced logistics production hardware.”

This project was jointly executed by the Penske Logistics and Penske Truck Leasing Information Technology departments.

Penske Logistics is a wholly owned subsidiary of Penske Truck Leasing. With operations in North America, South America, Europe and Asia, Penske Logistics provides supply chain management and logistics services to leading companies around the world. Penske Logistics delivers value through its design, planning and execution in transportation, warehousing and freight management. To learn more visit www.PenskeLogistics.com. Connect with Penske Logistics on social media: Move Ahead Blog, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Manitoulin Transport Acquires Matco Transportation Systems of Edmonton Fifth Manitoulin Acquisition in Less Than a Year


EDMONTON, Alberta – April 9, 2013 – Manitoulin Transport announced today that it has acquired Matco Transportation Systems of Edmonton, Alberta.  Established in 1966, Matco is a fully integrated Canadian transportation services company providing domestic and international freight, household goods relocation services and warehousing. Its geographic focus is Edmonton and Calgary in Alberta, the Northwest Territories and Yukon.

Matco is the second transportation company Manitoulin has acquired in the last four weeks and its fifth acquisition since May 2012.  This demonstrates Manitoulin’s continued push to further strengthen its service portfolio and its reach across Canada.  The acquisition of Matco also signifies Manitoulin’s entry into the household goods relocation market, an area it considers to hold significant growth opportunity.

“We are delighted to announce that we have purchased Matco, a company known for more than forty years for its exceptional customer service, professionalism and expertise,” said Don Goodwill, president, Manitoulin Transport. “This brings together two highly complementary businesses which should significantly benefit both Manitoulin and Matco customers. Manitoulin customers now have the benefit of accessing expertise in the household relocation business, as well as even greater coverage in Canada’s northwest.  Matco customers now benefit from easy access to Manitoulin Group of Companies full suite of services, and can continue to experience the same high level of customer service they have come to expect.”

Matco has seven terminal locations in Edmonton, Calgary, Inuvik, Norman Wells, Yellowknife, Hay River and Whitehorse. Matco will be lead by Wayne Wishloff, vice president and general manager, and founding partners Lloyd and Ray Anderson, will stay on in a consulting capacity.

About Manitoulin Transport:

Manitoulin Transport is a leading Canadian transportation and logistics solutions provider.  As a single-source carrier, it offers a wide array of transportation solutions, including; expedited less-than-truckload and truck-load, trans-border, intermodal, private fleet, guaranteed service, temperature-controlled, dangerous goods and supply chain management.  Manitoulin leverages its extensive network to service major urban and rural areas. In North America, its distribution coverage consists of more than 60 Canadian terminals and 250 U.S. service centres. All these solutions are assisted by its state-of-the-art technology that provides customers with 24 x 7 critical shipping information to manage and complete their supply chain processes. For more information, visit http://www.manitoulintransport.com.


C.H. Robinson’s Pink Ribbon Watermelon Program Develops App


Eden Prairie, MN (April 9, 2013) —Watermelon that Wows!, a new mobile app developed by C.H. Robinson’s Pink Ribbon Watermelon program, brings to life the many creative uses and health benefits of watermelon.

The app, available for download at the Apple App Store, features a variety of different activities for users to interact with, from step-by-step instructions to carve ornate watermelon centerpieces, to watermelon recipes and a family-friendly “Save the Watermelon” seed spitting game where users help a farmer protect his watermelon crop from vermin.

All profits from the sale of this app will be donated to breast cancer research organizations.

The Pink Ribbon Watermelon program allows retailers to participate in a comprehensive program that includes consistent supply, in-store support and a cause-marketing component. Since 2008, the program has raised over $680,000 for breast cancer research.

“Consumers have long loved the health benefits from watermelon. Now they also love the fact that funds raised through the Pink Ribbon Watermelon program are going to fund critically important breast cancer research programs,” said Josh Knox, strategic category manager at C.H. Robinson.

“The ‘Watermelon that Wows!’ app adds another component to our innovative melon offering.”

The app is the latest addition to an already robust program. Participants in the Pink Ribbon Watermelon program enjoy marketing support that includes a website, blog, Facebook page with over 20,000 fans, and event marketing.


About C.H. Robinson:

C.H. Robinson got its start in the produce industry over 100 years ago, providing fresh fruits and vegetables to the settlers of the Dakotas and Minnesota. Today, C.H. Robinson is a Fortune 500 company and one of the largest produce sourcing and logistics companies in the world with annual gross revenues of over $11 billion. C.H. Robinson offers the highest quality products while integrating value-added logistics, distribution, and information reporting services. C.H. Robinson provides many well-known North American consumer brands including Glory Foods®, Mott's®, Welch's®, and Tropicana®. The Tropicana trademark is being used under license from Tropicana Products, Inc.  C.H. Robinson offers a full line of conventional and organic produce through a large network of regional and local growers and serves over 42,000 customers through a network of more than 250 offices and over 10,900 employees worldwide.

Through the company and its Foundation, C.H. Robinson and its employees contribute millions of dollars annually to a variety of organizations, including the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Community Health Charities, American Red Cross, Children's Hospital and Clinics of Minnesota, and Global Impact. The company is headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and has been publicly traded on the NASDAQ since 1997. For more information about C.H. Robinson, visit http://www.chrobinson.com.

NASSTRAC Study Indicates Shipper Collaboration, Mode Shifts Key Transportation Trends in 2013


April 9, 2013 - MINNEAPOLIS, MN—Shippers say they use collaboration and technology, along with shifting modes, as common solutions to moving freight through their corporate supply chains. This is according to “Freight Transportation 2013,” the first annual study conducted by NASSTRAC, otherwise known as the National Shippers Strategic Transportation Council, a shipper association providing education, advocacy, and provider relations to the transportation industry.

NASSTRAC conducted this study to explore shippers’ perspectives of emerging trends in freight transportation. Based upon responses by transportation executives with manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers and distributors, “Freight Transportation 2013” addresses issues related to business strategy, collaboration practices, carrier selection, rates, capacity, mode selection, outsourcing, advocacy issues, technology, and sustainability. This statistically valid study highlights a number of key trends, including:

• Companies acknowledge the value in supply chain management and continue to develop long-term strategies. Nearly 89 percent said their company has a long-term supply chain strategy defined as a minimum of three years. Nearly all shipper participants (96.9 percent) said they have a transportation planning strategy tied directly to their overall supply chain strategy.

• There are significant collaboration efforts occurring in the supply chain, particularly among shippers. Nearly 33 percent of shippers in the survey said they collaborate with their providers for productivity gains, and an additional 54.9 percent said they collaborate with other shippers as well as their providers. Shippers find efficiencies and productivity gains through collaboration in these areas: network optimization (38.6 percent), mode shifts (31.6 percent), technology investments and enhancements (21.1 percent), and reducing transit times (18.4 percent).

• When selecting the carrier partners, shippers said they find the most import criteria to be rates (50.9 percent), reliability of on-time delivery (47.4 percent), and financial stability (18.4 percent). Most said that performance measurement is an important component of their carrier relationships, with 91.5 percent currently benchmarking rates and service.

• Shippers said they expect truckload and LTL rates to experience the highest rate increases of all modes, with 47.4 percent of shippers saying LTL rates will increase and 45.6 percent expecting truckload rate increases. Nearly 33 percent expect increases in intermodal rates.

• While over-the-road trucking continues to be the primary mode of transportation in moving freight through corporate supply chains, a significant number (37.7 percent) shifted freight to rail/intermodal in the past year. Approximately 42 percent said the primary reason for this modal shift was to save costs. There’s still more change to come, with 57.7 percent anticipating a modal shift in their transportation strategy during 2013.

• Outsourcing continues to be a common practice among shippers, but a significant number of shippers (37.2 percent) outsource 25 percent or less of their transportation spend to third-party logistics companies. Another 23.3 percent outsource 26 to 50 percent of their freight spend.

• Technology plays an increasingly powerful role in the supply chain and shippers recognize its importance. In fact, an overwhelming majority (81.7 percent) of shippers continue to make investments in transportation technology. Most common technology investments by shippers (42.1 percent) are in transportation management systems (route optimization, and shipment aggregation).

To download a free copy of NASSTRAC “Freight Transportation 2013” report, click here: http://www.nasstrac.org/whitepapers

NASSTRAC provides education, advocacy, connections and solutions for professionals involved in all areas of transportation, ranging from full truckload and LTL to containerization and global logistics. For more information, visit www.NASSTRAC.org.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Kenco’s Ann Christopher to Present at WERC on Legal Challenges in the Logistics Industry


CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.—April 2, 2013 —Ann Christopher, vice president and general counsel for Kenco Management Services, will be a featured speaker at Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC) Annual Conference starting April 28 in Dallas, Texas. She will discuss the legal challenges in the logistics industry, and offer insights on minimizing liability.

Christopher’s presentation will cover protecting business interests through effective negotiation strategies; understanding contract law; collection strategies and challenges; and risk-minimization strategies. The session will wrap up with a legislative/regulatory update addressing recent NLRB initiatives, food security regulation and other timely issues. In another session, she will facilitate a peer-to-peer discussion on legal concerns pertinent in today’s warehouse industry.

Christopher is considered one of the country’s leading authorities on warehouse law, and has served as a speaker for the American Bar Association, Transportation Lawyers Association, International Warehouse Logistics Association (IWLA), Southeastern Warehouse Association, and Texas Warehouse Association.

The conference will run from April 28–May 1.

About Kenco:

Kenco provides integrated logistics solutions that include distribution and fulfillment, comprehensive transportation management, material handling services, real estate management, and information technology—all engineered for Operational Excellence. Woman-owned and financially strong, Kenco has built lasting customer relationships for more than 60 years. Kenco’s focus is on common sense solutions that drive uncommon value. Learn more at www.kencogroup.com  Also, connect with Kenco on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and the Kenco Blog.

About WERC:

The Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC) is the only professional organization focused on warehouse management and its role in the supply chain, providing practical, how-to information to help members grow professionally as they improve warehouse and company performance. WERC is a not-for-profit organization with individual members. Members come from various backgrounds and represent a variety of distribution interests.

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LQ is looking forward to building on its sixth annual edition of Women in Supply Chain Management edition with an afternoon dedicated to women in logistics at the Toronto Board of Trade’s Country Club on June 13, 2013.

We would appreciate your input in helping to shape this exciting LQ event. If you are interested in this subject area, please take a minute to complete LQ’s informal survey at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TKSFTT6